Batman Forever
Batman Forever is the third film of Batman's initial film series which began with Tim Burton's 1989 version of the character, although it is a major departure from its predecessor in the franchise, Batman Returns. With dramatic changes to such things as the cast, design, and Danny Elfman's theme, which was scrapped completely (the music was composed by Elliot Goldenthal), it starred Val Kilmer taking over from Michael Keaton as Batman, and marked the series debut of Robin (Chris O'Donnell). Plot The Rise of Two-Face The movie opens as Two-Face, the alter ego of former DA Harvey Dent, (Tommy Lee Jones) is holding an hostage in a bank vault. Batman (Val Kilmer) arrives at the scene, and consults with Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman), who becomes enamored with Batman. Batman then rescues the hostage, but is unable to foil the robbery. While this is going on, Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey), a lowly worker at Wayne Enterprises, is doing unauthorized research at work. He has invented an item which manipulates people's brainwaves and channels television programs into people's minds, making it feel like they are "inside the show". When Bruce Wayne enters, he presents his invention to him and shows him how it works. However, when he asks for a response to his idea, Bruce answers negatively, saying that manipulating brainwaves is dangerous tampering and "raises too many questions". Nygma complains, but Fred Stickley, a senior worker, fires him as a response to him arguing and working without permission. Driven mad by the amount of work he did being useless, Edward captures Stickley and demonstrates his invention's powers on him; however, he is actually stealing Stickley's brainwaves to raise his own brain power and literally outsmart Bruce. Nygma then murders Stickley and tampers with the security tapes overlooking them to make it look as if Stickley had committed suicide. He leaves a riddle at the scene for Bruce. The Riddles Riddle 3.jpg|First Riddle 1/3 Riddle.jpg|First Riddle 2/3 Riddle 2.jpg|First Riddle 3/3 Riddle 4.jpg|Second Riddle 1/2 Riddle 5.jpg|Second Riddle 2/2 Riddle 6.jpg|Third Riddle Riddle 7.jpg|Fourth Riddle 1/2 Riddle 8.jpg|Fourth Riddle 2/2 A while later, Bruce receives a second riddle and consults Dr. Meridian, who establishes that whoever is leaving the riddles is a "wacko" who is obsessed with Bruce. After this, Bruce invites her to the Charity Circus at the Hippodrome. Two-Face and his thugs arrive at the event, firing guns and terrorizing the audience. They also bring a bomb that Two-Face will detonate if Batman does not reveal his identity at the circus (Two-Face blames Batman for failing to thwart a criminal who threw acid on Dent's face, disfiguring him). The Flying Graysons, the circus acrobats, work to remove the bomb through an opening in the top of the tent. The youngest member, Dick (Chris O'Donnell), manages to push Two-Face's bomb out of the circus tent and into the water surrounding the tent by going ahead of his family. When he returns, he finds that Two-Face has killed the rest of his family by shooting up the wires that they were climbing on, sending them plunging to their deaths. Feeling empathy for Dick's loss and feeling responsible for Batman's failure to show at the circus, Bruce takes a reluctant and devastated Dick in as a foster son. Dick wants to leave at first, but finds he and Bruce share a love for motorcycles and Bruce even offers to give Dick a rare one if he stays and fixes it. Before long, Dick accidentally stumbles across the Batcave and discovers Bruce's alter ego. After a joyride with the Batmobile, Dick saves a girl from a gang and defeats their leader, but is soon overwhelmed by their numbers; he is saved by Batman. Dick pleads to let Bruce train him as a partner, but Bruce refuses, feeling he cannot drag Dick into his crime stopping world. The Riddler Meanwhile, Edward Nygma, inspired and delighted by watching Two-Face's raid at the circus, decides to become a villain himself, the Riddler. He proceeds to show Two-Face his invention from Wayne Enterprises in his lair. The two villains make a deal: if Two-Face helps him steal enough priceless goods and money to fund his project, the Riddler will use "The Box" (the new name for his invention) to learn Batman's true identity. Their deal sealed, Two-Face and the Riddler start their rampage. They rob many museums and other wealthy areas, collecting diamonds and money. At a business party of Nygmatech, Nygma's new company, Two-Face begins robbing the guests, in hopes Batman will come out, which he does. However, in a trap laid for him, Batman is saved by Dick, but Bruce still refuses to let Dick become his partner. He then goes as Batman to Chase's apartment, where she says that though she loves Batman, she has fallen in love with someone; Batman turns away and smiles, knowing she has chosen him as Bruce. Unknown to Bruce, however, Nygma had drawn Bruce towards the Box, which absorbed his fears and memories and brought out the truth that he is Batman, which then becomes apparent to Two-Face and the Riddler. Batman & Robin Bruce tells Dick that, now that he has found happiness with Chase, he will retire as Batman. Dick is furious and runs away. Bruce invites Chase to his home where - through a kiss - she finds out he is Batman, but the Riddler and Two-Face break into Wayne Manor. They destroy the Batcave, kidnap Chase and leave a fourth riddle at the scene while Bruce and Alfred are unconscious. Bruce wakes up and is informed by Alfred that they've kidnapped Chase, and that Dick has run away, and the cave was destroyed and another riddle was left. He solves the riddle. He manages to use the riddles to discover the Riddler's true identity, and locates his lair, Claw Island, on an island outside Gotham. Chase is imprisoned by the Riddler and attached to chains on a couch. With only one suit left, Batman debates on his mode of transportation (the Batwing or the Batboat; a voice calls for both, and Dick steps out of the shadows as Robin, and this time, Bruce accepts their partnership. Upon reaching the island, Batman and Robin are both shot down and crash. They split up when the island begins to slide into pieces. Robin locates Two-Face and kicks him over the edge of a cliff, but is hesitant to kill him as he intended after being bluffed by him and helps him back up. However, Two-Face uses this response to capture Robin. Batman climbs up a shaft and enters the Riddler's lair, where he has an enormous brainwave device high above him. The Riddler gives Batman a choice of saving either Robin or Chase, who are both bound and gagged with duct tape in glass tubes above the water, whereas the one he doesn't rescue will be killed. However, Batman distracts the Riddler with a riddle of his own and uses his Batarang to destroy the colossal device, releasing both Robin and Chase and warping the Riddler's mind. The two fall into a pit, but Batman grapples onto a girder and pulls them both up. Two-Face lands on the girder and is about to shoot them, but Batman reminds him of his coin and how he's always two minds about everything. Two Face concurs and flips his coin to determine their fate, but Batman throws a handful of coins, similar to Harvey's, in the air. Two-Face panics and attempts to catch all of them, but loses his balance and falls to the bottom of the pit plummeting to his death. Batman, Robin, and Chase escape from the lair and take the Riddler to Arkham Asylum to be committed. Inside the asylum, one of the doctors, Dr. Burton, informs Chase that the captive Edward Nygma knows Batman's true identity. However, the warping process severely twisted Nygma's mind, who now thinks that he is Batman. Chase leaves the building to inform Bruce that his secret is safe, and the film then ends with Batman and Robin running towards the camera with the Batsignal in the background. Cast * Val Kilmer as Batman/Bruce Wayne * Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face/Harvey Dent * Jim Carrey as The Riddler/Edward Nygma * Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian * Chris O'Donnell as Robin/Richard "Dick" Grayson * Michael Gough as Alfred * Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon * Drew Barrymore as Sugar * Debi Mazar as Spice * René Auberjonois as Dr. Burton * Ed Begley Jr. as Fred Stickley (uncredited) Crew * Joel Schumacher - Director * Lee Batchler, Janet Scott Batchler, and Akiva Goldsman - Writers * Tim Burton and Peter MacGregor-Scott - Producers * Elliot Goldenthal - Music Score * Stephen Goldblatt - Cinematographer * Barbara Ling - Production Designer * Dennis Virkler and Mark Stevens - Editors * Bob Ringwood and Ingrid Ferrin - Costume Designers * Mali Finn - Casting * Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan - Executive Producers (film rights holders) Appearances Individuals *Batman/Bruce Wayne *Two-Face/Harvey Dent *The Riddler/Edward Nygma *Dr. Chase Meridian *Robin/Richard "Dick" Grayson *Alfred Pennyworth *Commissioner James Gordon *Fred Stickley *Sugar *Spice *Gossip Gerty *Neon Gang Leader *Teen Neon Gang Member *Teen Girl *Bank Guard *Ringmaster *John Grayson *Mary Grayson *Mitch Grayson *Dr. Burton *Mayor Burian-Mohr *Wayne Enterprises Executive *Margaret *Bruce Wayne's Assistant *Bruce Wayne's Aide *Two-Face's Pilot *Green Girl on corner *Pink Girl on corner *Orange Girl on corner *Blue Girl on corner *Male Newscaster *Female Newscaster *Sal Moroni (TV News clip) *TV Fisherman *Thomas Wayne (flashback) *Martha Wayne (flashback) *Jack Napier (flashback) *Catwoman (mentioned only) Organizations *Two-Face's Thugs *The Flying Graysons *Neon Gang *NygmaTech *Riddler's Frogmen Vehicles *Batmobile *Batwing *Batboat *Two-Face's Armored Car *Two-Face Thug Car *Two-Face's Helicopter *Transport Capsule *Bruce Wayne's Jaguar *Bruce Wayne's Bentley *1917 Harley Motorcycle *Indian Classic Motorcycle *Vincent Black Knight Motorcycle *Studebaker Champion's (Police Cars) Technology *Batsignal *The Box Weapons *Batarang *The Riddler's Batbombs Locations *Gotham City *Batcave *Wayne Manor *Arkham Asylum *Wayne Enterprises *Gotham City Police Department *Two-Face's Hideout *Cross Laundry *Claw Island *Hippodrome *Second Bank of Gotham *Gotham Harbor *Casino Excelsior Grand *Diamond Exchange *Gotham Children's Hospital *Statue of Justice *Metropolis (Mentioned Only) Events *Destruction of The Batcave Miscellaneous *The Guesser *Thomas Wayne's Journal *Malaysian Dream Warden *Gotham News Network *Two-Face's Coin *Ocu-Wash Merchandise Gallery Batman Forever Score.jpg|link=Batman Forever (score)|Film score by Elliot Goldenthal Batman Forever Soundtrack.jpg|link=Batman Forever (soundtrack)|Soundtrack compiled by Elliot Goldenthal Batman Forever Novelization - Peter David.jpg|link=Batman Forever (Novelization)|Novelization Batman Forever Comic Book Cover.jpg|link=Batman Forever (Comic Adaptation)|Comic adaptation BatmanForever Genesis box art.jpg|link=Batman Forever (video game)|Video game adaptation Gallery *See: Batman Forever/Gallery Videos Trailers File:Batman Forever (1995) Official Theatrical Teaser on HD!!|Theatrical Teaser. File:Batman Forever (1995) Official Theatrical Trailer on HD!!|Theatrical Trailer. TV Spots File:Batman Forever TV Spot|"A Hero in Black". File:Batman Forever - TV-Spot UK (englisch)|"The Adventure Begins". Production Development While the previous two films had been directed by Tim Burton, Batman Forever was directed by Joel Schumacher, who made changes to the established designs and thematics of the first two films. According to an interview with Janet Scott Batchler, Tim Burton's only involvement with Batman Forever was approving Joel Schumacher as director and Lee and Janet Scott Batchler as the writers. Burton did not contribute story ideas and by the time the Batchlers signed on, Schumacher already had hired Tommy Lee Jones to play Two-Face. Since Warner Brothers wanted two villains in the movie, the Batchlers then decided to bring on the Riddler, due to the character's popularity. They wrote the role with Robin Williams in mind, but no deal was made with him. Schumacher also wanted to bring in the character of Robin and the Batchlers turned to their assistant, who grew up in the circus, for research. The character of Dr. Chase Meridian was also created as a way to challenge both sides of Batman's personality, with Nicole Kidman's name mentioned for the role in the early stages. Michael Keaton was still expected to return as the project developed, negotiations were ongoing. Robin Williams was offered the Riddler role multiple times, but turned it down. Even when Akiva Goldsman began reworking the screenplay he had Keaton in mind. Rene Russo was cast as Chase, to rekindle her chemistry with Keaton seen in One Good Cop. H.R. Giger was chosen to design a new Batmobile for the movie. He left due to creative differences. Marlon Wayans and Billy Dee Williams still had pay or play contracts to fill the roles of Robin and Two-Face in potential sequels. As a result, Wayans' and Williams' contracts were paid out in full by WB. Schumacher wanted Chris O'Donnell and Tommy Lee Jones instead. After some negotiating, Keaton left the film as he was unhappy with the script and disagreed with Schumacher's ideas. Rene Russo was deemed too old to play Kilmer's love interest, and therefore was replaced by Nicole Kidman. Filming Val Kilmer and Joel Schumacher clashed during filming. Schumacher described Kilmer as "childish and impossible". According to Schumacher, Kilmer refused to talk to him for two weeks. Reportedly, Kilmer was so angered at one point he tore one of the cowls off his head, which upset the costume department due to cost.The BatPodcast- Episode 6- Bruce Thomas Schumacher also said that Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones had problems with each other on set. Jones was not friendly to Carrey, telling him once off-set during the production, "I hate you. I really don't like you... I cannot sanction your buffoonery". Rick Baker designed the prosthetic makeup for Two-Face and his team built the giant bat for a vision in the Batcave. John Dykstra, Andrew Adamson and Jim Rygiel served as visual effects supervisors, with Pacific Data Images also contributing with visual effects work. PDI provided a computer-generated Batman for complicated stunts. For the costume design, producer Peter MacGregor-Scott claimed that 146 workers were at one point working together. Batman's costume was redesigned along the lines of a more "MTV organic, and edgier feel" to the suit. Sound editing and mixing was co-supervised by Bruce Stambler and John Levesque which included trips to caves to record bat sounds. Promotion Posters thumb|230px|right|Initial teaser poster Batman forever ver6.jpg| Batman forever ver2.jpg| Batman forever ver3.jpg| Batman forever ver5.jpg| Batman forever ver8.jpg| John Alvin returned to design the one-sheets, this time based on the wardrobe photography of Herb Ritts. The character poster series concept from Batman Returns was used once again, also proving very popular. Music videos Hit singles from the soundtrack include "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2 and "Kiss From a Rose" by Seal, both of which were nominated for MTV Movie Awards. "Kiss From a Rose" (whose video was also directed by Joel Schumacher) reached #1 in the U.S. charts as well. The soundtrack itself, featuring additional songs by The Flaming Lips, Brandy (both songs also included in the film), Method Man, Nick Cave, Michael Hutchence (of INXS), PJ Harvey, and Massive Attack, was an attempt to (in producer Peter MacGregor-Scott's words) make the film more "pop". The soundtrack was hugely successful, selling almost as many copies as Prince's soundtrack to the 1989 Batman film. In 1996, "Kiss From a Rose" won three Grammies for best male pop vocal performance, best record and best song. A second album, featuring over 40 minutes of Elliot Goldenthal's "Original Score", was released two weeks after the soundtrack album. Press tour Schumacher appeared on the Charlie Rose show and was confronted by early criticisms of the film, as well as details regarding Michael Keaton's departure from the project. Reception Batman Forever obtained generally mixed reviews. Much of the negative reaction came from the drastic makeover of the franchise (most of it led by Joel Schumacher at the will of the Warner Bros. executives). Due to the fact that Batman Returns earned less than the original, Warner Bros. insisted the movie to be more "family friendly" to improve merchandising turnover. This included deleting over 30 minutes of footage, including Two-Face escaping from Arkham Asylum, the resolution to the Red Book subplot, and a sequence in which Bruce Wayne confronts a section of the Batcave with a giant bat. Further editing rearranged the first half of the film to start it off with an action scene. The end results reflected the third Batman movie with an overall tone that seemed to be lighter in comparison to its Burton predecessors. However, based on 54 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 43% of reviewers enjoyed the film. The film was more balanced with 14 critics in Rotten Tomatoes's "Top Critics" poll, receiving a 71% approval rating. Metacritic collected an average score of 51, based on 23 reviews. Peter Travers criticized the movie's blatant commercialism, but commented that "Batman Forever still gets in its licks. There's no fun machine this summer that packs more surprises. The script misses the pain Tim Burton caught in a man tormented by the long-ago murder of his parents." Brian Lowry of Variety believed "One does have to question the logic behind adding nipples to the hard-rubber Batsuit. Whose idea was that supposed to be anyway, Alfred's? Some of the computer-generated Gotham cityscapes appear too obviously fake. Elliot Goldenthal's score, while serviceable, also isn't as stirring as Danny Elfman's work in the first two films." James Berardinelli enjoyed the film. "It's lighter, brighter, funnier, faster-paced, and a whole lot more colorful than before." Scott Beatty felt "Tommy Lee Jones played Harvey Dent as a Joker knock-off rather than a multi-layered rogue." Lee Bermejo called Batman Forever "unbearable". Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both gave the film mixed reviews, but with the former giving it a thumbs up and the latter a thumbs down. In his written review, Ebert wrote: "Is the movie better entertainment? Well, it's great bubblegum for the eyes. Younger children will be able to process it more easily, some kids were led bawling from Batman Returns where the PG-13 rating was a joke." Mick LaSalle had a mixed reaction, concluding "a shot of Kilmer's rubber buns at one point is guaranteed to bring squeals from the audience." Val Kilmer as Batman There was debate about the performance of Val Kilmer; some critics charged that Kilmer, while physically fit to play Batman, more so than his predecessor Michael Keaton had been, gave a wooden performance as Bruce Wayne. Other critics though, such as Roger Ebert, had kind words for Kilmer. Batman creator Bob Kane said in a Cinescape interview that of all the actors to have played Batman up to that point (before the series was rebooted in 2005), he felt Kilmer had given the best interpretation. Jim Carrey said Kane had a strong dislike of nipples on the bat suit however. Film critic Leonard Maltin (who heavily criticized the dark tone contained in Batman Returns) complimented Kilmer's portrayal when he reviewed the film for his expanding collection of film reviews, as well as being very favorable of the film as a whole. Defenders of Batman Forever praised the movie for portraying Batman as a more heroic, less ruthless, and more human character than in the Tim Burton films. The film also brought the film interpretation of Bruce Wayne more into line with his comic book counterpart, showing him as a seasoned celebrity of the media and a very public figure rather than the neurotic recluse of the previous films. One of the biggest complaints about the Burton films was their portrayal of Batman killing his adversaries (especially in Batman Returns) without showing much remorse. However it is interesting to note that Batman does kill Two-Face in a very similar manner to his killing of the Joker in the original Batman film despite a noticeably less cavlier attitude to killing. Two-Face and Riddler Others accused Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones of giving cartoonish performances as the Riddler and Two-Face (Carrey himself even stated, though non-judgmentally, that this film "didn't take itself as seriously" as the past films had.) In one scene, Two-Face repeatedly flips his coin until achieving the desired outcome; in the comics, Two-Face always adheres to results of a single coin toss when a decision must be reached. It has been hypothesized that Two-Face is treating each opportunity to kill Bruce Wayne in this scene as a separate decision requiring a separate toss. Reactions to Carrey's performance were generally similar, though some complained that his portrayal was too over the top, and had more in common with the Joker than with the comic book version of the Riddler. In fact, after the Riddler proclaims megalomaniacally, "For if knowledge is power, then a god am I!" he pauses, then reflects, "Was that over the top? I can never tell". Criticism of his portrayal aside, Carrey's manic performance was a large part of the film's box office success. Gotham City and Bat-Gadgets A prominent criticism of the film's atmosphere centers on the constant use of neon lights, black lights, and glow-in-the-dark elements, which seemingly reaches its peak with the street gang Dick Grayson fights halfway through the film. Charges of Homoeroticism Batman Forever has been regarded by some as homoerotic, especially after Garry Willis, a conservative columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, sardonically bashed the movie's campiness and perceived homoerotic motifs ("'Batman Forever' is a Gay Old Time", Chicago Sun-Times, 1995). One source of this controversy is the introduction of nipples on the chest of the Batsuit worn during the majority of the film, as well as the humorous close-ups of Bruce Wayne while donning the Batman costume, including the close-up shots of the groin and buttocks. Similar charges would be brought up in the sequel, Batman & Robin. Box Office Performance The film's budget was approximately $90 – $100 million and earned $184,031,112 (including a record breaking $52.8 million opening weekend) in total domestic sales and $152.5 million worldwide (according to Box Office Mojo) surpassing the ticket takings for Tim Burton's Batman Returns, making it the most commercially successful movie of the summer of 1995 and second-best of that year (next to Toy Story). It was also the third highest grossing Batman movie as of 2005 (after the 1989 original and 2005's Batman Begins). This success came as a surprise to the filmmakers, who were constantly told by the studio that no one wanted a Batman movie and it was only going to be a moderate success. Awards and Nominations Batman Forever was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Home video The film was first released on VHS and Laserdisc in October 1995. Batman Forever was given a "bare bones" DVD release when the medium was introduced in 1997-1998. However, in 2005 Batman Begins release incited Warner Bros. to release a Two-Disc Special Edition set of all four Burton-Schumacher films in Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997. This included 14 of the 30 minutes of deleted scenes known to exist. The Region 2 DVD restores more than a minute of cut footage. Previous cuts included headbutts and various close ups of Two-Face. The uncut version was certified 12 by the BBFC, higher than the cut version's PG. Deleted Scenes Batman Forever went through a few major edits before its release. Originally darker than the final product, the movie's original length was closer to 2 hours and 40 minutes according to director Joel Schumacher. There was talk of an extended cut being released to DVD for the film's 10th anniversary in 2005. While all four previous Batman films were given Special Edition DVD releases on the same day as Batman Begins's DVD release, the version of Batman Forever released was the original, although some of the following scenes were in a deleted scenes section in the special features. The following is a compiled list of the most important deleted scenes or original versions of scenes: *A scene that featured Two-Face escaping Arkham originally opened the movie. A guard enters the empty cell and finds the words "The Bat Must Die" illuminated by lightning on the wall. Followed by the opening titles, which focuses on the mind, referring to Batman and Riddler. Rene Auberjonois had more scenes filmed here, playing Doctor Burton but his role was reduced to a cameo in the final film. This was supposed to begin the picture but producers decided this was far too dark for a family audience. As this was cut, it made the editing of the final film somewhat muddled to the fans of the original script as later scenes were re-arranged. This scene appears in a rough edit on the Special Edition DVD. Segments of the scene also appears on the U2 music video "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me." **Some segments from this scene appeared in the music video "Kiss from a Rose" and the theatrical trailer despite being deleted from the final film. *One scene featured an extended scene of a confrontation between Batman and Two-Face in the helicopter. This scene appears in a rough edit on the Special Edition DVD. *One scene featured a local Gotham talk show with Chase Meridian as a guest, talking about Batman. *An extended conversation when the Riddler and Two-Face team up. *The scene at the casino robbery where the Riddler fails at punching the security guard originally added the Riddler proceeding to beat the man with his cane. *One sequence came directly after the casino robbery, where Batman follows a robbery signal on a tracking device in the Batmobile. He shows up at the crime scene and finds he is at the wrong place (a beauty salon), in which a room full of girls laugh at him. The Riddler had been throwing Batman off the track by messing with the Batmobile's tracking device. This would explain why in the theatrical version Batman seems to give Riddler and Two-Face moments of free rein over the city. This scene appears in a rough edit on the Special Edition DVD. *One scene featured a little conversation with Dick and Bruce in the gym of the manor. This scene appears in a rough edit on the Special Edition DVD. *One scene showed the development of the NygmaTech building on Claw Island, funded by the Riddler and Two-Face's robberies. This features deleted scenes of Nygma visiting the site and the box press conference. The construction of NygmaTech was more in-depth. There were scenes shot that appear in publicity stills of Edward Nygma with a hard hat helping with the construction of his headquarters on Claw Island. This scene is shown in a sticker album published by Merlin Collections but not in the final film or on the Special Edition DVD. *There was originally a scene of Alfred and Bruce examining the Nygma Tech "Box". This scene is shown in a photo in the commentary of Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer. *One deleted scene featured a philosophical conversation between Two-Face, Riddler, Sugar, and Spice as they take hits from the box. Sugar and Spice, played by Drew Barrymore and Debi Mazar, try out the Riddler's device during the montage when it goes on sale. They are seated with the Riddler and Two-Face on the couch where Chase is handcuffed later in the film. This scene appears in the comic adaptation but not in the final film. *An extended scene established Bruce in the Batcave shortly after having discussed with Dick then that this would have saved his life after the battle with Two-Face in the subway system under construction. In this scene he is appreciated as the GNN news (Bruce watching in the Batcomputer) attacking Batman and Two-Face after the battle in the subway and after that Bruce talking to Alfred turns into the dilemma of continuing to be Batman and try a normal life with Chase. This would explain why in the theatrical version Bruce turns off all the systems and everything else in the Batcave telling Dick he's gives up being Batman. This scene appears in a rough form on the Special Edition DVD. *The Wayne Manor raid sequence was longer, featuring Bruce and Chase fighting Two-Face and his thugs. *The scene where the Riddler has Chase chained up on a couch originally ended with him knocking her out by injecting her with a type of sleeping drug. He then says, "Nap time, gorgeous" to Chase. *One of the most important deleted scenes involved further backstory to the film which many people, including screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, which is on the DVD, shows Bruce waking up from being shot by Two-Face with temporary memory loss. Bruce remembers everything except being Batman. After Alfred shows him the Batcave which has been destroyed by the Riddler. They stand on the platform where the Batmobile was and Alfred says "Funny they did not know about the cave beneath the cave". The platform then rotates downward to another level where the sonar-modification equipment is kept, from the special batsuit to the hi-tech weaponry, Bruce comes upon a section of the cave where he first encountered the bat that inspired his alter ego (which is shown earlier in the movie when he talks to Chase). This deleted scene kept in line with the earlier storyline of Thomas Wayne's diary, which Bruce finds in the cave. The recurring nightmares of his parents' deaths throughout the movie are given closer inspection when he reads the diary. He had believed his parents would not have died if he hadn't made them go to the movies, but his father's diary reveals that his parents had been planning to go to the movies anyway, prompting Bruce to say through tears, "Not my fault...". He sees the bat again in this scene, and the size of it made many fans who saw the screenshot think it was Man-Bat. It was confirmed that this was not and was never intended to be Man-Bat. The bat appears and Bruce raises his arms and the shot shows that they are one. Bruce now remembers who he is and goes with Alfred to solve the riddles left throughout the film. Akiva admitted the scene was very theatrical on the Special Edition DVD and felt the scene would have made a difference to the final cut. The bat was designed and created by Rick Baker, who was in charge of the make-up of Two-Face, played by Tommy Lee Jones. This scene appears in a rough form on the Special Edition DVD. *The fight scene between Two-Face and Robin on Claw Island was originally longer. *The original ending paid homage to the first film. When Alfred drives Dr. Chase Meridian back to Gotham she asks him "Does it ever end, Alfred?" Alfred replies, "No, Dr. Meridian, not in this lifetime...". The Batsignal shines on the night sky and Batman and Robin are standing on a giant gargoyle overlooking the city. This scene, with Kilmer and O'Donnell, was shot in front of a blue screen. A rough edit of the first half of the ending scene appears on the Special Edition DVD, but not in its entirety. The sequence with Batman and Robin at the end of this scene is not to be confused with a commercial for the video game, which is on the VHS release of this film (released in the UK on December 3, 1995), with Batman standing on a pillar looking ahead. Robin then comes into the shot and joins his partner. Batman leaps off the pillar, towards the camera. This commercial was filmed with two stuntmen dressed in Batman and Robin outfits on a small sound stage. Several fans have wished for a special "Director's Cut" to be released. Schumacher, back in circa '98, said that he would be releasing a brand-new cut of the film, yet no release has surfaced. It was later announced that Warner Bros. is considering to release a new cut with Schumacher's supervision, yet no release has surfaced since. Fans are still petitioning Warner Bros. to do so, especially with the year of 2020 marking the film's 25th anniversary. However, there is still no official word from the studio. Quotes ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- References External Links *[http://www.warnerbros.com/batman-forever Batman Forever] at WarnerBros.com *[http://www.dccomics.com/movies/batman-forever-1995 Batman Forever] at DCComics.com *[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112462/ Batman Forever] at IMDb *[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_Forever Batman Forever] at Wikipedia es:Batman Forever Category:Films Category:Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology